Frustration with Society
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2014
Posts: 53
Frustration with Society
I have a problem with drugs and alcohol. I have known about this problem for about three years, and managed to get sober two separate times in that period. I just wan to express my frustration with the societal pressures that make drinking so common. Why dose it have to be difficult to quit drinking? Why is it radical for me to make a decision that will make me so much happier and healthier? Why is it that I have to feel so much shame in making this decision when it is so clear that it is right for me? It should be a no brainer, I need to make this change in my life or I will end up seriously harming myself. I know this, and I know how unhappy I am, but the decision is such a difficult one to commit to. I'm weak.
Administrator
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Australia
Posts: 211,439
Welcome back retroactive 
By the end of my drinking, my life revolved around drinking.
I found it a lot easier to quit when I was committed to changing my life...that meant changing the things I did for fun, the places I'd frequent and the people I used to have fun with.
I think everyone has drinking friends and other friends...I just gravitated to the other friends.
It was still difficult at times to be sure, but with the right support you can hold your head high and march to the beat of your own drum.
Alcohol is socially accepted...but then not everyone shares my problem, so I guess we just have to focus on what's best for us....
the longer you stay sober the less, you'll be hyper aware of alcohol
D
By the end of my drinking, my life revolved around drinking.
I found it a lot easier to quit when I was committed to changing my life...that meant changing the things I did for fun, the places I'd frequent and the people I used to have fun with.
I think everyone has drinking friends and other friends...I just gravitated to the other friends.
It was still difficult at times to be sure, but with the right support you can hold your head high and march to the beat of your own drum.
Alcohol is socially accepted...but then not everyone shares my problem, so I guess we just have to focus on what's best for us....
the longer you stay sober the less, you'll be hyper aware of alcohol
D
Hears The Voice
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Unshackled
Posts: 7,901
The challenges I have between my ears dwarf anything society can throw at me. 'Society' never once poured alcohol in my face. That was always me.
The good news is that I can also decide not to pour alcohol in my face.
Best of luck on your journey!
The good news is that I can also decide not to pour alcohol in my face.
Best of luck on your journey!
Member
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Eastern Us
Posts: 1,366
It is difficult to stop drinking if you believe that not drinking is depriving you of something valuable. It isn't. There is nothing magic in those bottles. What I have now is a choice... I never HAVE to drink that crap again. I find that fact thrilling.
You're not shackled to not drinking, you're free from drinking
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: MN
Posts: 1,406
Unfortunately that's the way it is and we have to accept it. The author
Allen Carr wrote something I'll paraphrase as "Alcohol is the only drug in the world that people think you have a problem if you want to stop using it" What's up with that?
Allen Carr wrote something I'll paraphrase as "Alcohol is the only drug in the world that people think you have a problem if you want to stop using it" What's up with that?
Forum Leader
Join Date: May 2012
Location: Wisconsin, USA
Posts: 16,945
There are a lot of things in "society" that seem unfair or unjust. Many of them are perception based though. For example, while there is a lot of advertising/propoganda about alcohol, there's also plenty of advertising against it. As alcoholics we tend to gravitate towards the pro-alcohol crowd because it's familiar to us.
Another very common misconception is that "everyone drinks". In reality, most people drink very little or nothing at all. Again, as alcoholics we tend to seek out people like us...aka "people who drink". There are entire societal segments that do not drink at all for religious/cultural reasons and they live very happy, successful lives. And for the most part, "everyday" people spend the vast majority of their time NOT drinking. Again, we obsess about it because we are alcoholics and that's what we do, right?
The solution is to look inside ourselves and understand that we are viewing the world through the lens of our addiction before we act.
Another very common misconception is that "everyone drinks". In reality, most people drink very little or nothing at all. Again, as alcoholics we tend to seek out people like us...aka "people who drink". There are entire societal segments that do not drink at all for religious/cultural reasons and they live very happy, successful lives. And for the most part, "everyday" people spend the vast majority of their time NOT drinking. Again, we obsess about it because we are alcoholics and that's what we do, right?
The solution is to look inside ourselves and understand that we are viewing the world through the lens of our addiction before we act.
Resident Awesome Guy
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Castle Pines, CO
Posts: 747
Originally Posted by ScottFromWI 
There are a lot of things in "society" that seem unfair or unjust. Many of them are perception based though. For example, while there is a lot of advertising/propoganda about alcohol, there's also plenty of advertising against it. As alcoholics we tend to gravitate towards the pro-alcohol crowd because it's familiar to us.
Another very common misconception is that "everyone drinks". In reality, most people drink very little or nothing at all. Again, as alcoholics we tend to seek out people like us...aka "people who drink". There are entire societal segments that do not drink at all for religious/cultural reasons and they live very happy, successful lives. And for the most part, "everyday" people spend the vast majority of their time NOT drinking. Again, we obsess about it because we are alcoholics and that's what we do, right?
The solution is to look inside ourselves and understand that we are viewing the world through the lens of our addiction before we act.
Another very common misconception is that "everyone drinks". In reality, most people drink very little or nothing at all. Again, as alcoholics we tend to seek out people like us...aka "people who drink". There are entire societal segments that do not drink at all for religious/cultural reasons and they live very happy, successful lives. And for the most part, "everyday" people spend the vast majority of their time NOT drinking. Again, we obsess about it because we are alcoholics and that's what we do, right?
The solution is to look inside ourselves and understand that we are viewing the world through the lens of our addiction before we act.
Keep fighting the good fight!
Member
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Toronto, ON
Posts: 518
As a Seahawks fan i have had years of wanting to drink when they play. Ironically i get more fun out of watching sober and have done so for over a decade even though i wasn't "sober". Last SuperBowl i watched sober - it's just my thing i guess. I also never watch with "buddies" Always alone and spend time on the gameday thread and fan forums during the game. I do the same when watching hockey (Habs). I have plenty of friends who are at the bar drinking and texting me knowing that I am watching with eagle eyes.
I think you need to ask yourself what you enjoy doing alone. Try joining a fantasy league, it makes watching the games incredibly interesting and fun.
You will find that with time your hobbies will become even more enjoyable without alcohol. It sounds crazy i know, but give it a try
I think you need to ask yourself what you enjoy doing alone. Try joining a fantasy league, it makes watching the games incredibly interesting and fun.
You will find that with time your hobbies will become even more enjoyable without alcohol. It sounds crazy i know, but give it a try
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